A pensioner has been found not guilty of assaulting a policewoman by throwing a cup of tea over her close to a loyalist protest camp.

But Agnes Redford was convicted of disorderly behaviour during the same incident in North Belfast last December.

The 63-year-old, who helps serve refreshments for Orangemen campaigning to complete a contentious parade past the Ardoyne district, received a 12-month conditional discharge.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard she had been standing at Twaddell Avenue roundabout with some other women when a motorist drove past and shouted sectarian abuse.

CCTV footage appeared to show her then step forward while holding a white polystyrene cup and waving a red white and blue scarf complete with an image of Queen Elizabeth II. It was claimed that she could be hearing shouting back to the motorist: “Kiss that.”

A police sergeant told the court she intervened at this stage and tried to usher Redford back onto the traffic island.

“The next thing I had tea running all down my face, and all down the front of my body armour,” she said.

“I said to her, ‘You have just thrown tea around me’, and she said, ‘What the f*** are you going to do about it?’

“I said, ‘I’m going to arrest you’.”

Redford, of Altnacreeva Avenue, Belfast, was detained and subsequently charged with assault on police and disorderly behaviour.

Her evidence was that any spillage occurred accidentally after she had her arm grabbed.